CRYSC November Technical Update

CRYSC Leads the Nation in Coach Education — And It’s Just the Beginning

Dear CRYSC Families, Players, and Supporters,

As we close out 2025, we want to share something we’re incredibly proud of — something that sits at the core of who we are as a club: We are committed to developing remarkable coaches.

Behind every great player experience is a coach who creates the environment, sets the tone, chooses the words, and inspires kids to fall in love with the game. This year, our coaching staff took enormous steps forward, and we want to celebrate them with the entire CRYSC community.

This year, CRYSC doubled down on what makes us special — developing remarkable coaches. Across the Front Range, in the mountains, and even out of state, our coaches showed up in record numbers to learn, grow, and sharpen their craft.

Here’s what our coaches accomplished in 2025:

Grassroots Licensing (Entry Level)

• 30+ U.S. Soccer Grassroots Courses
• Total Grassroots Coaches Licensed: 411

That’s 411 coaches across CRYSC who invested in learning how to design better activities, manage safer environments, and create more joyful experiences for our youngest players. This is the foundation of our club — and we are incredibly proud of them.

Advanced U.S. Soccer Licenses:

• D License: 5 courses, 90 coaches
• C License: 4 courses, 58 coaches
• B License: 1 course, 24 coaches

Combined, these programs produced: 178 advanced learners across B, C, D, and Leadership pathways

Total Coaches Educated in 2025: 589

A total of 589 CRYSC coaches stepped into formal learning this year, raising the standard for every age group, every training session, and every athlete they serve. And thousands of players felt the impact.

This is who we are as a club:

• A place that grows great coaches.
• A place that invests in people.
• A place where learning never stops.

We believe in something simple:

• When coaches get better, kids get better.
• When coaches care more, kids love the game more.
• When coaches learn, the entire club rises.

This has become our niche. Our identity. Our competitive advantage.

CRYSC is now one of the largest and most active coach-development hubs in the country — something we are deeply proud of and something that directly impacts the experience your players receive on the field.

This year also marked an important step forward in our collaboration with AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization). Together, we’ve worked to expand access to coach education across Colorado, aligning resources, sharing educators, and making it easier for community coaches to begin their Grassroots journey. This partnership helps us fulfill U.S. Soccer’s vision to make coach education more accessible, and it ensures that more players across the state — regardless of club or level — are guided by coaches who are equipped to create safe, fun, and development-focused environments.

AYSO has been an outstanding partner, and we’re excited to continue building a unified pathway for coaches throughout Colorado in 2026 and beyond.

We’re taking all of this momentum straight into 2026 with our most ambitious coach education calendar yet. Across our regions, we’ll run a full slate of GR and D License courses, giving coaches their next step after Grassroots and ensuring the developmental “escalator” continues upward.

Next year, CRYSC will host two B License courses — one in the spring and one in the fall — offering some of the most advanced coach education pathways available in the country. We’ll also launch a national Winter C Course designed with college coaches in mind (but open to everyone), and we’ll add another C Course in the summer along with one more in the fall to support coaches across multiple starting points.

Our Club Technical Leadership Course (CTL-1) will also return, preparing the next wave of DOCs, regional leaders, and advanced practitioners within the club.

Taken together, these offerings position Colorado — and CRYSC — as a true destination for coach education. Coaches will come here not just to learn, but to grow in a community that values development, reflection, and long-term support.

2025 didn’t just bring more courses — it marked the evolution of our long-term approach to coach development. At CRYSC, we’re building a true, year-round learning system designed to meet coaches where they are and keep them growing over time. Our winter and early spring months now launch the major U.S. Soccer courses, creating the first wave of learning each year. Summer brings the energy of Grassroots licensing and on-field workshops, giving newer coaches their first step onto the “escalator” — a pathway that begins with GR courses, delivers a quality learning experience, and invites them to return for the next level. By fall, long-form courses are reaching their assessment phase, and a second wave of licensing emerges. Late fall and winter become a period of reflection, catching breath, and preparing for the next cycle.

This rhythm isn’t accidental — it’s a long-term strategy. The more consistently we offer meaningful, accessible learning opportunities, the more we empower coaches to stay on the escalator and keep climbing. When a coach has a positive first experience, they’re far more likely to return for a D License, then a C, and eventually step into leadership courses like the B or the Club Technical Leadership Level 1 course.

In many ways, we are bringing U.S. Soccer’s vision to life right here in Colorado: make education accessible. By offering courses across multiple regions, blending virtual and in-person experiences, and running programming year-round, we’re turning Colorado into a destination for coach education — a place where coaches at every level can learn, grow, and belong.

This is a long game. And it’s one we’re proud to lead.

2026 U.S. Soccer Courses

• Two B License Courses (Spring and Fall)
• A national Winter C Course designed for college coaches but open to all (plus at another summer C Course and one in the fall)
• Four D License Courses across CRYSC regions
• CTL-1 (Leadership Course) returning for our next generation of DOCs and regional leaders

These offerings position CRYSC as a national leader in coach education. CLICK HERE to see our list of upcoming courses.

In addition to U.S. Soccer licensing, CRYSC will also begin hosting United Soccer Coaches diplomas, opening more learning pathways in:

• Positional play
• Systems and Formations
• Match analysis
• Tactical training

More options → More learning → Better coaches → Better environments for players.

When/Where? June 26–28, 2026 | Regis University

Theme: “Men’s World Cup Edition”

Three days of:

• On-field sessions
• Classroom learning
• Guest speakers
• Community-building
• Coaches’ social with watch parties

This will become one of Colorado’s premier coaching events — and a celebration of the people who make CRYSC special.

To every family, player, volunteer, referee, and supporter across our club — thank you for trusting our coaches with your players.

To our coaches — thank you for showing up, for learning, for reflecting, for caring, and for helping us build something special here in Colorado.

2025 was a huge step forward.

2026 will be even bigger.

And together, we’ll continue to raise the standard for what remarkable coaching looks like.

With gratitude,

Zac Crawford

Chief Technical Director

Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club

Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club (CRYSC) serves approximately 10,000 players ages three through 19, beginner to elite, in year-round leagues, camps, and tournaments. As a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CRYSC has been named a top 15 youth soccer club in the U.S. by Soccerwire and the top youth soccer club in Colorado by Colorado Parent Magazine. CRYSC’s mission is to provide an environment where young soccer players from diverse backgrounds are guided and inspired to reach their full potential, both on and off the field.